The Last Rose Of Summer
by PrettyMusic
Summary: Natalia's never had much luck,her fiancée's been cheating on her with another woman, and then she finds herself in a new place, with new people. Confused and lost,she stumbles upon an adventure she never asked for. Will she lose her sanity? Legolas/OC
1. Chapter 1

So this is my first fan fiction and my first attempt at a The Lord Of The Rings fan fiction. I hope you like it and I hope you grow to like Natalia. I know that she may seem like a Mary-Sue now, but she isn't. Any advice or pointers that you can give is welcomed!

The Last Rose Of Summer

Natalia smiled bitterly to herself as she walked down the busy streets of Toronto, pulling her jacket tighter to her body, trying to block out the cold, wet, rain. On a normal night, she wouldn't find herself walking around Toronto, alone. But this wasn't any normal night; at least, it wasn't supposed to be a normal night. This was supposed to be a night that she would never forget, a night that she would remember forever. This was supposed to be the night where she would finally be engaged to her boyfriend of two years. That was until she found him in the arms of another woman, with a big, shiny ring on her finger.

'I was supposed to be with him. I was supposed to have a ring around my finger, looking at him with total love. Instead I'm here, walking down the street, close to midnight, soaking wet and freezing.' She thought bitterly as she ground her teeth and started walking faster.

The promise of a nice, warm bed in a nice, warm apartment, curled up in a big fuzzy blanket sounded nice to her. But then she remembered that they shared an apartment, and realised that she couldn't go back, at least not to stay there.

'I should go back to the apartment, grab my things, trash it and leave a nasty note.' Natalia ground her teeth together and clenched her fists tightly.

That's what she should do, but she couldn't, despite having her heart ripped out and stomped on, she still loved him. She knew that she still loved him and she knew that if he had ever come crawling back to her, she'd forgive him.

'Who am I kidding? He doesn't love me! That's why he was hanging off of that...woman...with his arm around her waist, and her skinny, manicured hand on his chest...' Natalia ground her teeth to the point of them hurting and without a moment notice; she stopped walking, turned her head to the dark, sky and started screaming at the top of her lungs.

"I hate you Lucas! You hear me! I hate you! You ruined my life! I wish I'd never met you!" Natalia screamed and her hands flew to her neck to remove the necklace he had given her, but she stopped and froze. She hadn't even realised that she hadn't worn it. Instead, she wore the necklace she had ever since she was a little girl.

'I forgot that I had put this one on. I thought I had worn the one he gave me.' Natalia gently caressed her necklace, deep in thought. She hadn't known where she'd gotten it from; all she knew is that she had it all her life. As long as she could remember she'd had it.

'I can't believe I was almost going to throw it away." Natalia thought quietly to herself, drifting in and out of deep thoughts. But that only lasted for a minute before she remembered where she was going and why.

Glaring at the ground in front of her, she started walking down the street again. She had started walking across the bridge to get to her apartment when she felt an odd feeling come over her. Not sure what it was, she stopped walking and looked around, looking for anyone that might be following her, or watching her.

When she didn't see anyone, or anything, she continued to walk, only to have the feeling increase. She tried to ignore it, and she tried to brush it off, but it kept coming back. It was like an annoying itch that she couldn't scratch.

'This is weird. This is really weird.' She thought to herself, before she increased her pace until she was all out running towards across the bridge.

'**Stop!**' Natalia froze when she heard the voice loud and clear. She froze for a moment and then she quickly and hastily looked around for anyone who could have said that.

"Hello?" She asked quietly and waited quietly for a response. Instead of getting a response, she heard footsteps from somewhere around her, not helping her nerves.

'I've got to get out of here!' She quickly turned around and began running across the bridge again, but stopped when she saw something, glowing dimly in the water. Curiously, Natalia walked to the edge of the bridge and looked over the side.

She seen the object in the water glow brighter and she leaned in to get a better look at it, when she felt her feet slip out from underneath her. Natalia tried to reach out and grab the side of the bridge, but her fingers slipped and she felt herself falling.

Natalia took a deep breath before she felt the deep, dark water chill her to the bone. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to kick her way up to the top, but she found that the water was too cold. She could feel anything let alone move her muscles. Natalia tried again to surface to the top of the water, but she felt her eyes closing instead and the water leaving her lungs.

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'Breathe. In and out. Breathe. In and out.' Natalia blinked a couple of times, and she tried to open her eyes, but she closed them again when she heard the loud patter of the rain outside. She tried to remember what happened and first she couldn't.

But then, like a horrible nightmare, it all started coming back. Her boyfriend, supposed to be fiancée, the other woman, walking around close to midnight, the cold rain, and of course, falling off the bridge.

She groaned and sat up slowly, trying to make the room stop spinning. She held her head in her hands gently and scrunched her eyes closed tightly. The room was still spinning despite her desperate want for it to stop.

"Stop staring." Natalia heard but she still had her eyes closed shut.

"I said stop staring!" She heard again and slowly she opened her eyes and looked around the room, but she couldn't find the source of the voice.

"She kind of looks funny." Natalia scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. Where were the voices coming from? Finally Natalia looked to the corner of the room where she saw four small men, who looked more like children to her, huddling together.

"Hello..." Natalia spoke quietly, not totally getting over the shock of seeing four small men staring at her.

She looked over them silently, while they were talking amongst themselves. She found that she could tell the difference between all of them besides two. One of the small men was a little chubbier with blonde hair that was slightly curly. He had the face that made you know you could trust him easily.

The other man had dark brown, almost black hair that was curly and it fell slightly in his face. He had bright blue eyes, and an innocent face. He seemed like he was more of a dreamer than the other one. Almost like he was one to daydream more than work. The other two however, were a little harder to pick out.

One had lighter hair, more blonde, that fell into his eyes, and like the other two, and his hair was also curly. He had slightly green-grey eyes, and I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was mischievous. He had a square jaw unlike the other three, and it seemed like that had only make him look more mischievous.

The last man, like the others, had curly hair that fell in his eyes, but it wasn't like the others. Instead of having blonde or black-brown hair, he had a mix. It looked like it was a mix of blonde and red, almost strawberry blonde, but not quite. He had a slightly round face, and green eyes, that were mischievous as well, but he had an innocent look to him. He seemed like the type of man that would get into trouble, just by being himself.

Natalia watched them stare at her, with an interested look on their faces, mixed with a curious one. They looked at her like she had grown another head and Natalia would've been freaked out, but she was staring at them the same way.

She had never seen anyone like this before and she tried to think of who they could be. She had things crossing her mind, but she quickly dismissed them. Hey had looked like children to her, yet they had the look of men. Natalia knew that if she stood up, they would only maybe reach her hip, maybe her waist.

Natalia turned away from the men and looked at the rain pounding down on the windows outside. She remembered falling into the water and not being able to get out. Then when she woke up and she was in this room with these men, in a place that she didn't recognize. Just where was she?


	2. Chapter 2

So this is my first attempt at a fanfiction and my first attempt at a Lord Of The Rings fanfiction. I hope you like it and I hope you review.

Thanks to my first review:

Aeglos3

The Last Rose Of Summer Chapter 2

Natalia still hadn't had a clue to where she was and why she was here, or what had happened to her. The only thing she remembers is her boyfriend, ex-boyfriend now, cheating on her, and then her falling into the chilling river.

When she woke up, she hadn't recognized where she was, and at first she thought that she might be in someone's house, if it weren't for the four men in the room. She knew though, that for some odd reason, the men had looked familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on where she'd seen them from before, but she knew she had.

"You're still staring! Stop staring!" Natalia heard the blonde man tell the blonde/red haired man, quit strictly. But going against the blonde man's demands for him to stop staring, he stared more.

"She's the strangest looking elf I've ever seen." Natalia heard the blonde/redhead mutter under his breath and at first, she thought she hadn't heard him right.

'Elf? They think I'm an elf.' Natalia thought to herself. Amused by what they said, she started to chuckle, quietly at first, but then it progressed in volume, until she was laughing quite loudly.

"I'm not an elf!" Natalia told the men through the various breaths she took to try and calm herself down.

'The very thought of them thinking that I'm an elf. That's ridiculous!' Natalia thought to herself, her laughing dying down to a quiet chuckle, which stopped when she saw that none of them men were laughing.

"She's a strange elf too..." Natalia heard the dark haired man mutter to the blonde one, while moving away from her slightly.

"I'm not an elf. I'm human. Elves don't exist." Natalia stated while staring at the men, looking at them just as strangely as they looked at her. Why were they so keen on saying that she was an elf? They didn't exist; they were made up characters from fairy tales.

Natalia continued to look at the men, curiously at first, then with a little worry. If they had truly thought that elves existed, then there must be something wrong with them. Elves don't exist.

"She thinks elves dont' exist. She really must have bumped her head harder than she thought." Natalia heard the men whispering about her in quiet voices, noting that they probably didn't mean for her to hear, but she did.

'Bumped my head? I didn't bump my head, I nearly drowned.' Natalia thought to herself quietly before she directed her attention towards the stairs. She could hear some footsteps coming from behind the door, and she expected the men to hear them too, but when she turned her attention to them, she found them still in their own conversation.

Natalia turned away from the men again and she focused back on the door. She saw the door handle being turned before it was quickly pushed open and closed. She watched the mysterious person keep their backs towards her and the men, before they briefly turned around and scanned the room.

Natalia's eyes flickered up towards him as she quickly took in his appearance. She saw that he had dark, wavy hair that fell to his shoulders. He had a beard, but it suited him, unlike some people who had them. Natalia noticed that instead of the brown eyes she almost expected him to have, he had bright blue eyes. In other words, she found him attractive and would've wanted to act on her attraction, if i weren't for that one thing.

'Cheater' flashed through her mind, as the images when didn't want to replay in her mind did. They played over and over again. The image of her ex and the woman, the shiny, smooth ring on her finger, the look they were giving each other.

"You're awake, that's good. Eat. You'll need your strength." The mysterious man told Natalia before he tossed her an apple and a piece of bread. Natalia quickly caught them both with surprised eased, and instead of it eating it like he said, she stared at it cautiously.

"There's nothing wrong with them. Eat." The man told her strictly before he turned back to the other men and began talking to them.

Deciding to trust the man, she was hungry and he did say that she'd need her strength, she took a bite of the apple, and smile when she realized that the apple was quite good. She continued to eat the apple, and then she went on to finish the bread, ignoring the conversation they were in. That is until they all stopped talking and stared at her.

Natalia stopped chewing her bread and she swallowed it quickly, but didn't say anything. She kept looking at them, still cautious, but also curious as to why they were staring at her.

"What?" Natalia asked quietly, not enjoying being stared at by so many people.

"You don't believe that you're an elf." The mysterious man told her, briefly looking back at the other men, then her again.

"Of course I don't. Elves don't exist." Natalia stated, trying to ignore the chuckles that were coming from the men. She didn't know why they were chuckling, but it made her feel a little uncomfortable.

'He's staring at me funny. They're all staring at me funny.' Natalia thought quickly before she looked at them and then looked away quickly.

"Elves are real. They are just as real as you and I." Natalia heard the man speak in a hushed but firm tone. He left no room for argument with the tone he had but even if Natalia did try to argue, she knew it would be in vain.

But still, Natalia couldn't help but listen to the nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to argue. She tried hard to let it go, and let them believe what they wanted to, but Natalia couldn't. She couldn't just let this go. They were claiming that she was something she wasn't.

"I am not an elf!" Natalia told them firmly, then quickly crossed her arms over her chest to reinforce herself.

'The idea that they think I'm an elf is ridiculous.' Natalia lightly scoffed to herself, missing the look that the four men were sharing.

"That necklace you where is the necklace of an elf." Natalia threw her hands to her necklace and touched it lightly, feeling the beautiful designs of the necklace. She had this ever since she could remember and it was her most prized possession.

"I've had this ever since I could remember. It's from Peru and it's supposed to bring good luck." Natalia told the man, trying not to get angry at him.

"You have the pointed ears of an elf and the blue eyes. You have the necklace of an elf, and you also have the beauty. You are an elf." The man told her, turning all his attention towards her.

Natalia furrowed her eye brows and gave the man a weird look, and wanted to shake her head, but she hesitated. The man had kept telling her the same thing over and over; she was an elf, she is an elf.

'Should I believe him? He is so adamant about it. Maybe I should...' Natalia thought to herself as her eyes scanned the room for a mirror.

Once she found a mirror, she got off of the bed, steadying herself at first, and then she made her way across the room. She walked towards the mirror slowly, her feet feeling like lead, dragging her down. She reached the mirror and she gripped the handle, wanting to turn it over, but she felt something stopping her.

'_You won't like what you see._' A quiet voice came from the back of Natalia's mind, it was so small that she barely heard it.

Natalia ignored the voice and quickly turned over the mirror and almost dropped it. The person staring back at her was someone she didn't recognize. The person staring back at her could not in any way be her.

Natalia stared at the reflection for a moment before she touched her face, pulled on her hair, and gazed at her new ears. This wasn't her, it couldn't be her.

'This has got to be a joke, a dream even. This can't be me. This isn't me.' Natalia told herself that it was a dream over and over again, until she almost believed it.

"You are what you are." Natalia ignored the man and went back to staring at her reflection.

'This isn't real. This is a dream, this has got to be a dream.'


	3. Chapter 3

So chapter 3 is here. Hope you like it and I hope you **review.**

Thanks to my reviewer: Teamravenclaw. I hope you like this chapter too.

The Last Rose Of Summer Chapter 3

Natalia turned around and looked at the five men, not sure what to say. Words came to her head, but they were mixed up and all out of order. She didn't know what to say or what to do really. All she could really think about doing was staring at the mirror again, searching for any sign that it wasn't real, but other than that…

"I know that it is a shock. But it is true." The one man said to her before he turned back to the others and started explaining something to them.

Natalia wasn't sure what it was and she didn't want to know. She wanted to figure everything out; she had to figure everything out.

'I couldn't have just changed like this overnight. Something had to have happened when I fell into the water. No, something did happen when I fell into the water. I changed but I don't know why.' Natalia argued with herself for a moment.

Then she quickly picked up the mirror and stared at her reflection again. She still didn't recognize who was staring back at her. She couldn't recognize the woman staring back at her and she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

Natalia turned to face the five men, one sitting by the window, and the other four sitting on their beds. They had left 'The Prancing Pony' not too long ago after a warning from one of the men named Strider. He warned them that if they didn't leave now then they would be in trouble.

Natalia sighed and looked back at the small mirror that she had taken from 'The Prancing Pony'. She still couldn't get over the fact that she had changed this much and that she was an elf.

'They aren't supposed to be real. They are supposed to be made up. But then Strider seems so sure that they are real. He seems to know what he is talking about. So does that mean…' Natalia's thoughts were drained out by one of the four men, Hobbits as she learned them to be, asking Strider a question.

"What are they?" One of the hobbits, the dark haired one, asked Strider, his voice mixed of both fear and curiosity.

"They were once men, great kings of men. Then Sauron the Great Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power and blinded by their greed they took them without question. One by one, falling into darkness, now they are slaves to his will. They are the nazgul, ring wraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times the feel the presence of the ring, drawn to the power of the one. They will never stop hunting you." Natalia heard Strider telling them what they were, all the while looking out the window, watching out for them.

She turned her attention away from Strider and back over to the four hobbits. All of them were sitting close together, not looking too scared, but more cautious. They all looked nervous, and agitated and a little fearful, but their eyes held pure determination.

"We need to go." Strider told them while standing up and grabbing his things. Natalia followed him by standing up and grabbing the only thing she really had, the mirror.

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Natalia quickly followed Strider and the hobbits up the hill towards the edge of a forest. She had found out that the hobbits were supposed to be meeting someone named Gandalf at The Prancing Pony, but he hadn't shown. So they were forced to leave without them.

'Strider told me that as an elf I would be graceful, have better hearing, be more agile, and have better sight. But I have yet to encounter any of those abilities.' Natalia thought bitterly as she almost tripped over, yet another, root.

"Are you sure we can trust this Strider?" Natalia furrowed her eyes brows when she heard one of the hobbits ask that. She was walking right behind Strider with the hobbits following and she heard that clearly.

'Maybe I do have better hearing…' Natalia looked back at the hobbits and saw them all talking amongst themselves, trying to be quiet, but she heard them loud and clear.

"Can you hear anything?" Natalia turned her attention back towards Strider, who had stopped and was staring at her.

Natalia stopped walking as well and she concentrated as hard as she could on trying to find anything that sounded out of the ordinary, but she couldn't.

"Are you sure that I'm an elf? You said that elves have good hearing and good eye sight. But I'm not so sure if that applies to me." Natalia asked Strider and she saw him give her a look before he continued walking.

"Yes I am sure. You are an elf. That necklace that you wear…that necklace is a necklace of elves. They are very hard to come by if you are not an elf. Almost impossible. If you were not an elf, you wouldn't have it." Natalia thought about what Strider was saying.

It made sense what he was saying, well sort of. She was still really confused about some things, and she wanted answers. But she had a feeling that whatever answers she had wanted, Strider couldn't give them to her.

'I have so many questions that I need answered. So many uncertain things are running through my mind and I'm not sure what to do with them.' Natalia thought to herself and before she could go deeper and deeper into her thoughts, a voice interrupted them.

'**All of your questions will be answered in time.**' Natalia jumped when she heard the loud, clear voice in her head. That voice, this particular voice was the same voice that was in her head the night she almost drowned. So there must be some type of significance with the voice. Although she wasn't sure what it was.

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Natalia took off her shoes and glared at them. They had finally stopped for the night and as soon as they stopped, she took off her shoes and started giving herself a foot massage.

'I love flats, and I love cheap flats, but not for walking long distances.' Natalia glared at her flats as she set them on the ground. They weren't bothering her at first, but after a while they began torturing her. Natalia looked down at her feet and winced when she saw that in some places, there was dried blood on her foot.

'I hate shoes.' Natalia glared down at them and against her want, she put them back on. She would've just left them off, but she knew that they were going to be walking more and she knew that she needed shoes. It wasn't an option. She needed them.

"I'm telling you Merry, I haven't seen an elf like her." Natalia sat up straight and turned her head to the side a little when she heard two of the hobbits talking about her. She could hear them from where she was sitting and she was a little upset that they called her strange.

'I mean yes I have been called strange my entire life, but still. Don't they realize that they're strange too?' Natalia thought to herself, but quickly shook off them calling her strange and focused on massaging her feet.

"This is for you." Natalia jumped when she felt something being dropped into her lap. She looked up at Strider and saw him also giving something to the hobbits.

Natalia picked hers up and she pulled the handle out of its covering when she realized that it was a dagger. She looked at it confused before she looked back up at Strider.

'He wants me to fight with this? I've never fought with any kind of blade or sword in my entire life.' Natalia looked back down at her dagger and she quickly put it back in her covering and she went to go back to massaging her feet when Strider stopped her.

"I want you to come and look around with me. It would be nice to have an elf's ears." Natalia looked up at Strider and she sighed and stood up slowly. She could feel her feet ache from the shoes, and despite the pain she was going to feel later, she put them back on.

"Bring your dagger." Strider told Natalia before he started walking away without her.

Natalia quickly grabbed her dagger and started walking after him, ignoring the pain in her feet. She knew that she would have to deal with this for the rest of their journey to Rivendale.

"Wherever that is." She mumbled to herself as she continued following Strider back down the watchtower they were under.

Authors Note:

Okay so that is the 3rd chapter. Hoped you liked it. So **please review and I will update.**


	4. Chapter 4

So here's a new chapter. It's shorter than the other ones but I hope you'll like it anyway.

Thanks to the reviewers:

Pearl Bramble of Willowbottom

moonpiegirl

Lady of Em

Tiara d' Cullen

The Last Rose Of Summer Chapter 4

Natalia shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying to get her shoes to hurt less. They had stopped walking a while ago but Natalia's shoes still made her feet hurt. She wished that she had never worn these shoes because they were not worth the pain.

"Pull out your dagger." Strider told Natalia, nodding his head towards her dagger.

Natalia pulled it out and she examined it for a moment before she held it tightly. She didn't want to let it go in case it fell on her feet or something.

"You're holding it too tightly. Relax your hand and arm. You can't fight with a tense arm." Natalia looked at Strider and she took a deep breath and tried to relax her arm and hand.

"Flex your fingers around the blade of the dagger, get used to it, and get the feel of it. You won't able to fight if you aren't comfortable with the dagger." Strider told Natalia calmly and patiently.

'I'm glad that he's being patient. I've never had to fight with a dagger or any weapon at all really. I don't fight.' Natalia thought quickly to herself. She was trying to pay attention and listen to everything Strider was saying but she found it hard to do. There were so many things she had to know and do that it made her confused.

"Hold your dagger up! Try and block mine! Move your feet!" Natalia tried as hard as she could to match Strider's footsteps and block his dagger but it was hard.

She could tell that he had been using a blade for a long time by how well he was doing. Natalia knew that he could fight circles around her. She knew that he could do so much more damage than she could.

"Good, good. Keep your feet moving that's what's important. Block!" Natalia raised her dagger and blocked Strider's with effort.

'I think I might be getting better at this. I mean I'll be able to defend myself. Not very well though...' Natalia drifted from her thoughts and paid attention again. She raised her dagger again and just barely blocked Strider's attack when another came.

"You learn quickly." Strider told Natalia as he put his sword back.

Natalia looked at Strider and when she saw him put his sword away, she let out a relieved breath. They had been practicing for quite a while and if Natalia's feet weren't going to kill her, then her muscles most definitely would.

"That's it for now?" Natalia asked Strider cautiously. She didn't know if he was stopping for right now and she didn't want to seem too eager to stop.

"Yes. Unless if you want to continue?" Natalia quickly shook her head against the thought of more practising. She was ready to relax and sleep. That's what she needed, sleep.

'Sleep sounds so good right now, sleep and a nice, hot bubble bath with a good book to read. Then hot chocolate and a sappy romantic movie.' Natalia closed her eyes and tried to imagine what she was thinking. But as soon as she started thinking about that, she started to think about Luke.

'I can't believe he cheated on me with another woman. I didn't even know he was cheating on me, I never saw any signs.' Natalia blinked a couple of times to keep bitter tears from escaping her eyes. She didn't want Strider to know that she was upset because she didn't want him to ask. She didn't want to cry in front of him and she knew that if he did ask, she would start crying.

'Deep breaths, deep breaths. In and out. In and out.' Natalia took deep breaths and she closed her eyes and tried to get her emotions in check. But every time that she thought she had them in check, the picture of those two together would pop back in.

"Can you hear anything?" Natalia snapped out her thoughts by Strider asking her a question. She was glad for the distraction but she was still wasn't sure about this whole elf situation.

"Just concentrate." Natalia listened to Strider and she turned away from him and tried concentrating. She didn't know what she was supposed to be hearing for, but she did it anyway.

Natalia focused as hard as she could and all she could hear at first was Strider breathing and him shuffling around a bit. She tried to tune out his breathing and his shuffling around and focus on hearing anything else.

"I can't hear anything strange." Natalia told Strider in a defeated tone. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear anything or not, but she felt like she should've.

'Strider said that I'd have better hearing, but I feel like I don't.' Natalia rubbed the back of her neck feeling how tense and sore it was. She could really use a neck massage right now but because she wasn't with her boyfriend, or in Toronto, she couldn't get one.

Natalia closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side to crack her neck when she heard a loud screeching noise. She sat up straight and started looking around for what the source was. She could feel Strider's eyes on her but she ignored it and tried to find the sound again.

"Strider...there's a faint screeching noise. I don't know where it's coming from but I can hear it." Natalia told Strider and when she turned to look at him, she saw that he stood up and he gripped the handle of his sword.

"They're here."

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Natalia followed behind Strider with her dagger out and in her hand. She and Strider had just gotten back to see the nazgul's there. Strider had told her that she would have to fight as best as she could, but she doubted that she could.

She didn't feel like she had practised enough and she didn't trust herself to be able to do much. She had never fought before in her life and never held a weapon but now she was. Now she had to fight. She had to trust herself and she had to trust everything that Strider had told her.

'Take deep breaths. Stay calm, stay relaxed. Keep my feet moving. Stay relaxed.' Natalia kept repeating the things Strider told her over and over again in her head.

Natalia ran to the top of the cliff and stopped when she saw the nazgul. She saw their long, black robes, their pale skin and their deathly hands. She had never seen them before and the only time she had heard of them was when Strider was telling her about them. Natalia knew that now that she had met them, she wouldn't be able to get them out of her head.

'It's just another thing that will forever be stuck in my head.' Natalia cringed when she heard them sc reaching and she had to fight not to cover her ears.

'Strider was right when he said that my hearing got better.' Natalia shook her head and she pulled her dagger out of its cover. She took deep breaths and gripped it like Strider had told her to.

'Deep breaths. In and out. In an out.'

Authors Note:

This was a short chapter, I know. But halfway through I was starting to run out of ideas. Plus I'm really anxious to get to the part where Legolas comes in and that's not for a while. Anyway, hoped you liked it and I hope you review. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, so here's the new chapter, hope you like it and I hope you review.

Thanks to the reviewers:

Tiara d' Cullen

Metoochocolate

Lady of Em

Scylla's revenge

The Last Rose Of Summer Chapter 5

Natalia took of her shoes and glared down at them trying to burn holes in them. They had gotten past the Nazgul's and into the forest, not thanks to her. She had frozen when she saw the Nazgul's, unable to fight, barely able to breathe and definitely not able to think.

She was frozen in fear, unable to fight, and she never felt more useless. Especially when one of the hobbits, Frodo as Strider told her, was stabbed. She felt like everything was her fault and she felt like if she would've actually done something then Frodo wouldn't have gotten stabbed.

'I shouldn't have frozen like that. I should've been able to do something.' Natalia gripped her shoes and then she threw them across the room watching them hit the wall then fall.

They had gotten to Rivendell last night and the first thing Natalia wanted to do was go and check up on Frodo but Lord Elrond, who's castle they were staying in, told her that she had to sleep. He said that they all had to sleep and that they could check up on Frodo in the morning. But it was morning now and she still couldn't check up on Frodo.

'I feel horrible...' Natalia sighed and she fell back on her bed and looked around and took in the beauty of her room.

There was a high ceiling with beautiful designs etched into the marble that almost seemed unreal. There were a few columns leading to a beautiful, open balcony that had an amazing view of the forest below. All together this room was more than anything she could ever ask for, or imagine.

'This room is amazing, but it was not designed for someone like me.' Natalia thought to herself and she closed her eyes and relaxed her body. She tried to clear her head of all thoughts and just concentrate on listening.

'I can hear...birds chirping and the sound of water rushing.' Natalia smiled slightly at herself. Her hearing was getting better and she was getting used to it now. She was still a little freaked out by her ears and her 'undeniable beauty' but she figured that she would come around. Hopefully.

Natalia shook her head and she cleared her thoughts again. She concentrated on listening again and this time she found it a little easier than last time. She opened her eyes for a moment and looked around the room again for a couple of moments. She closed her eyes after a couple moments and let her thoughts take over.

"Excuse me." Natalia heard a quiet voice say and she sat up quickly and saw a woman standing by the edge of her bed holding, what looked like, dresses and some shoes.

"I have some dresses and some shoes for you miss." Natalia smiled at the woman and she stood up and took the items from her. Natalia quickly put them down on the bed and looked them over quickly before she turned back to the maid.

"Thank you." Natalia told the maid politely and she waited until she was gone before she turned to the dresses.

Natalia picked up the first dress and ran her fingers over the soft fabric of the dress. She smiled at the dress, instantly loving the deep purple colour with gold around the bottom, sleeves and the top. She could tell from the cut of the dress that it would be tighter around her bust and her stomach then it would flare out and barely touch the floor.

'There are so many dresses. All of them are beautiful and all of them are so elegant. But these dresses...they were too elegant for me.' Natalia thought to herself as she out the last of the dresses into the closet.

Natalia looked over the dresses and ran her fingers over them and looking at all of the colours and the different fabrics and the cuts. She tried to make up her mind which one she wanted to wear but when she kept looking at them, she couldn't make up her mind.

TLROS TLROS TLROS TLROS TLROS TLROS TLROS

Natalia looked at the target that was in front of her examining it. She had tried fighting with a dagger and now she was trying to fight with a bow and arrows. Strider had told that elves not only had good hearing but they also had good eyesight.

'He wouldn't give up on this. He forced me to try this...' Natalia thought with little bitterness in her voice. She picked up her bow and flexed her fingers around the handle and tried to get a comfortable grip around it.

'Be relaxed and be calm. This is not my enemy it is my friend.' Natalia repeated in her head as she took a deep breath.

She reached down and grabbed an arrow and set it into right place. She tried to aim and adjust her arm so that it would hit something. Once the arrow was notched, Natalia took another deep breath and closed her eyes and got the feel of the bow.

'Trust your instincts and let them take over.' Strider's voice filled Natalia's head and she opened her eyes and looked at the target for a moment before letting go of the bow.

She watched the arrow fly quite quickly before she heard a thunk. She looked at the arrow and tried not to get too happy when she saw that the arrow had hit the outer ring.

'You know for one of my first times using a bow and arrow that's pretty good.' Natalia beamed at her slight victory over a bow and arrow.

"You need to adjust your arm and relax your hand more. You're not using your instincts you're using your mind." Natalia turned around and she saw Strider looking at the target.

"I hit the outer ring. That's good for my first time right?" Natalia asked Strider nervously unsure if she should be proud or not.

"That is good for your first time. But you can do better." Strider told Natalia calmly and patiently.

"Take your hand off of the bow and put it back on but this time, relax." Natalia heard Strider tell her and when she didn't do it right away, he did it for her.

Natalia gave him a weird look before she put her hand back on the bow, but this time she was relaxed. She looked at Strider for approval and when he didn't say anything to her at all, she considered it approval.

"Keep your arm straight, strong and relaxed. You must stay relaxed." Strider told Natalia and he walked over to her and adjusted her arm to its proper place.

"Now try." Natalia looked at Strider for a moment and then she looked at the target, examining it for a moment before she let go of the bow.

She watched it until she heard a thunk and to her amazement, it was two rings closer. Natalia grinned to herself and she turned around and faced Strider who was leaning up against the fence.

"You will need a lot of practise until you are comfortable enough with the bow and arrow but I think that this may be your weapon of choice. You have a better feel for this then the dagger." Strider told Natalia while directing his attention to the target.

'So I'm not too bad at this eh? That's good.' Natalia felt a burst of pride at the compliment and at her slight good work.

"There is another reason why I am here." Natalia took her attention off of the target and her bow and arrows and turned it towards Strider.

"There is a meeting tomorrow and Lord Elrond wants you there." Natalia gave Strider a weird look and shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"He wants me there? What's it about?" Strider looked at Natalia and he crossed his arms over his chest and kept looking at her.

"It is to discuss what will happen to the ring." Strider told Natalia before he stood up straight and directed his attention to the target again.

"Keep practising. You need it." Natalia smiled at Strider and waited until he walked away before she rolled her eyes.

Authors Note:

There's the 5th chapter. Hoped you liked it and I hope you're excited for the next chapter. That's where Legolas comes in. Please review and give any advice you can give for the plot, Natalia's character or the love portion of the story. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

So here's a new chapter and I hope you'll like it and I hope you'll review.

Thanks to the reviewers:

Tiara d' Cullen

Metoochocolate

LUNA GURLZ

Lady of Em

The last Rose Of Summer Chapter 6

Natalia stood outside the entry leading to the council meeting anxiously but nervously. She knew that she was invited to go and she knew that she was wanted there.

Natalia sighed and wrung her hands together nervously. She didn't know whether she was going to actually go to the council meeting or not. Strider had asked her to go and he had told her that she was invited but she still didn't know.

"Excuse me milady." Natalia heard some talk from behind her.

Natalia quickly stepped out of the way and she apologised quietly and went to continue wringing her hands together but she stopped when she saw someone stand in front of her. Natalia put her hands down by her sides and she looked up at the person.

She saw red-ish/brown hair that fell into the man's face and a beard that made him seem very rustic. She could see that he was bigger than her muscle wise and height wise. She could see that he had a foot and some inches on her and muscle mass she could never have.

"I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting milady. I am Boromir." Natalia smiled nervously at him, feeling warning signs go off in the back of her head.

"May it please milady to give me her name?" Boromir asked her with interest.

Natalia looked over him again and tried to decide whether or not to give her name to him. She had warning signs about him going off in her brain and she wasn't sure whether to ignore them or not.

'It would be rude not go tell him my name though.' Natalia argued with herself for a couple seconds before she decided to give him her name anyway.

"Natalia. My name is Natalia." Natalia told Boromir her name quietly.

Natalia watched Boromir carefully still not sure about him yet. She didn't find anything too wrong with him right now but there was still enough there to be cautious about it.

"Milady is fair as fair cane be." Natalia watched awkwardly when Boromir grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. She wanted to rip it out of her grip but she was sure that if she did it would look bad on her.

"Thank you." Natalia squeaked out trying as hard as she could not to rip her hand away.

Boromir watched Natalia for another moment before he remembered that he had somewhere to be. He smiled down at Natalia and grabbed her hand again and pressed a gentle kiss to her hand.

"I bid you farewell milady." Boromir told Natalia gently and kindly. Natalia smiled back at him and she waited until he was gone before she started mumbling to herself.

Natalia looked back at the council meeting and she saw that the seats were starting to fill up. She knew that she would have to decide now whether or not she wanted to go or not. She closed her eyes for a minute and she took a step backwards ready to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I do believe that the meeting is this way milady. You wouldn't want to miss it would you?" Strider asked Natalia with a half smile.

"Of course Strider. I was just on my way there." Natalia told him while giving him a smile, expecting him to go on without her.

'He's not going in?' Natalia thought to herself then she turned her full attention back towards Strider.

"Good. Then we can go in together." Strider told Natalia and he motioned with his hand for her to walk in.

Natalia rolled her eyes at Strider and walked into the courtyard where the meeting was to be held. She looked around and saw most of the people in their own conversations. None of them paid her any attention and they went and kept on talking.

'Save for one person of course.' Natalia thought bitterly as her eyes wandered over to Boromir who was looking her over with a smile on his face.

Natalia turned away from Boromir and she quickly sat down beside Strider and looked around the courtyard again.

Natalia looked around the courtyard, directly across from her, and saw a group of men, all with identical hair colour, with pointed ears pointing out of their hair. Natalia knew they were elves from the ears but she didn't know where they were from or whether or not they were related.

'They all have the same hair colour but they couldn't all be related could they?' Natalia looked at them for another moment and she went to turn away when one elf caught her eye.

She looked him over more carefully and took more time looking him over. He had the same blonde hair as the other elves, and she assumed that he had blue eyes like the others. But there was something different about him. She couldn't quite place it but she knew there was something.

'There is something different about him. I don't know what it is, but I know there is something.' Natalia thought to herself and she kept looking at him trying to figure it out.

Natalia kept staring until she realized that he was looking at her. She saw the same amount of curiosity in his eyes, the same amount that was in her eyes. Natalia quickly looked away from the strange elf and instead focused her attention on Frodo.

She saw him staring at the ring again and she wondered what he was thinking about. She could tell that he was in deep thought and her curiosity was pushing her to find out what he was thinking about.

'But it's not like I can just walk over there and ask.' Natalia thought to herself about whether or not she should get up and ask him. It's not like the council meeting was starting yet.

'I could just go and casually start talking to Frodo and then ask what he thinking about.' Natalia thought to herself as she started hatching the perfect plan to go and talk to him.

Natalia looked at Frodo for a minute, ready to execute her plan, when she felt eyes on her. She whipped her head around and looked at Boromir, thinking that it may be him, but when she seen him talking she knew it wasn't.

Natalia looked around the council meeting looking for the person who was staring at her when she saw the one elf looking at her. His expression was less a curious expression and more of a confused expression.

Natalia looked him over quickly, taking in his appearance. She noted that while he did look like the other elves he was with, he definitely was different. She saw that from the view that she was getting, that his hair was a little blonder than some of the elves. She also noted that his eyes were blue but they were a lighter shade of blue.

'His eyes remind me of Husky's eyes. They are so blue it's hard to believe.' Natalia thought quickly and then she went back to looking at this elf.

She got past his hair and his eyes and started to move on slowly, still trying to make a connection. She looked at the shape of his face altogether and noticed that while the other elves were handsome and beautiful, he almost seemed...better?

Natalia sat there puzzled as to why this Elf was different. She knew that he was different and she knew that there was something about him, but she couldn't figure it out.

"The meeting is about to start." Natalia tore her eyes off of the elf, embarrassed that she was staring for so long, and turned her attention towards Strider.

She saw him smirking at her with an odd glint in his eyes; an almost devious look. Natalia gave Strider and annoyed, odd look and turned her attention away from Strider and away from the elf.

'I don't want him to think I'm strange.' Natalia smiled to herself, knowing that all the people here thought that she was strange.

'He is attractive though.' Natalia thought while trying not to show an evident blush on her face. But even the blush was short lived when a voice spoke in the back of her mind.

'Cheater.'

Authors Note:

Okay so Legolas is officially in the story! I hoped you liked what I wrote and I hope you like my attempt at presenting Legolas. Please review! Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

Here's another chapter! Sorry for the long wait but I'm finding myself falling behind on my humanities work. So as I catch up on that, I will try and update regularly but I'm not promising anything.

Thanks to the reviewers:

moonpiegirl

LUNA GURLZ

Metoochocolate

ninja-of-twilight

Lady of Em

Erugalatha

Tiara d' Cullen

The Last Rose Of Summer Chapter 7

Natalia leaned back in her chair slightly and started playing with the hem of her dress. It wasn't something that she normally did but then again, she wasn't normally in a dress surrounded by people that she didn't know. She could be calm in these situations, sometimes anyway, but for some reason she wasn't on ease.

'You're not at ease because you know you don't belong here.' Natalia heard a nagging voice from the back of her mind and she tried not to cringe. It sounded just like her ex.

'A stab at the heart.' Natalia ground her teeth together and forced her ex out of her mind again. She had forced him and the other woman out of her mind as much as she could and having the thoughts just suddenly jump into her head out of nowhere really annoyed her. She wanted them to be gone; she needed them to be gone.

"Strangers from different lands..." Natalia looked up when Lord Elrond started talking and despite him talking to everyone else, she felt like he was directing that to her.

"...friends of old. You have been sent here to answer threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction..." Natalia tuned Lord Elrond out and drifted into her thoughts as confused as she ever would be.

'Middle-Earth? I'm in Middle-Earth?' Natalia thought to herself, deep in thought until she forced herself out of her thoughts and onto the matter at hand.

"Each race is bound to this one fate...this one doom." Natalia looked at Lord Elrond as he finished talking and she saw a certain expression on his face but she couldn't quite place it.

Natalia quickly looked away when she realized that she'd been staring and instead she looked around the council meeting at everyone's expressions. It seemed to her that everyone's expressions were mostly uncertainty.

'I don't feel like I should be here...' Natalia bit her lip at her thoughts and tried to think of any way that she could leave.

'**You need to be here.**' Natalia jumped at the loud, clear voice in her head and looked around carefully. She still didn't know where it was coming from and it still freaked her out.

"It is a gift...a gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use the ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, held the forces of Mordor at bay...by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy...let us use it against him!" Natalia heard Boromir and then she felt bad for thinking ill of him.

'He's just trying to protect his country/lands. Why did I think so badly about him?' Natalia asked herself and she looked at Boromir again. She really didn't know why she thought he was a bad person...

'Maybe I just got a bad impression of him or something. I mean he made me uncomfortable at first, but I mean he doesn't seem so bad now. Maybe I'm just not used to how people flirt here...' Natalia stole a look at Boromir.

"That is no mere ranger! He is Aragorn son of Arathorn..." Natalia looked up at the odd elf and was paying close attention until he called Strider Aragorn.

Natalia then turned her attention to Strider and gave him a confused look. He told her to call him Strider but then the weird elf called him Strider. She didn't know whether to call him Strider or Aragorn like the elf did.

'The elf seems to know him though so his name must be Aragorn.' Natalia thought as she stole another look at Aragorn. But she only looked at him for a moment before she was dragged back into the meeting by arguing coming from everyone around her.

'What is going on? What is everyone yelling about?' Natalia thought to herself quietly and she looked around at everyone in the meeting until her eyes fell onto Frodo.

She saw him sitting there looking uncomfortably. He had his head down and he was staring at his hands and mumbling something to himself.

'It looks like he's in really deep thought.' She thought before she tore her eyes away from him and back to the strange elf.

'Just who is he? What is he? I know that he is an elf but he doesn't seem like the other elves...' Natalia sighed and leaned back in her chair. She tore her eyes from the elf and looked down at her lap.

She wasn't thinking about her ex-boyfriend anymore but instead her home. She was thinking about her apartment and her job, all of her friends. She wondered if they missed her or if they were wondering where she went. She also wondered if they had thought she had died or just disappeared.

'"I will take the ring the ring to Mordor, although I do not know the way." Natalia heard Frodo say quietly and she figured that while he felt like he had to take it, he was scared to.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf told Frodo while smiling down at him. He meant every word he said to Frodo, every single one.

"If, by my life or my death, I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." Natalia looked at Aragorn and then she looked at Frodo.

'Should I join them? Should I go with them on their quest? It would be dangerous but...I've come with them this far haven't I? I should go all the way.' Natalia thought to herself and she stood up quickly and confidently.

"I'm coming with you. I'm coming too Frodo." Natalia told him while giving him a smile. She walked over to him and expected a disapproving look from the elves, and especially Lord Elrond, but instead, he gave her a smile.

'Are you sure about this?' Natalia rolled her eyes at the nagging voice that came from the back of her mind.

'Yes I am sure about this. I want to do this. I feel like I need to do this.' Natalia told the voice pointedly hoping that it would get the message. When she didn't hear the voice say anything else, she knew that it had gotten the message. Well for now at least.

"You shall be known as The Fellowship of the Ring." Natalia smiled at their name. It had a pretty nice ring to it.

'This isn't going to end well.' Natalia clenched her jaw at the annoying voice and wished, if she could, that she could strangle the voice. It was really starting to annoy her...

TLROS TLROS TLROS TLROS TLROS

Natalia sighed contently and leaned back in the bathtub. Tonight was the last night that they were going to be spending in Rivendell and she was going to make the most of it. In fact she had made the most out of the last couple days, preparing to leave at first, then relaxing the most that she could. Well after Aragorn's lessons on sword fighting and archery.

'Those lessons made my muscles ache and cramp up but now...now I can just relax and take it easy.' Natalia thought to herself and sighed happily. She pushed all thoughts about the journey out of her head along with the nagging voice. She just focused on relaxing in the hot bath that was drawn for her.

'I haven't felt this content in days. I don't have to worry about a thing right now. It's just me, myself and I.' Natalia smiled to herself and adjusted her body so she was further into the water.

She knew that this was one of the last times that she would really be able to be mellow by herself. She knew that by this time tomorrow she would on the quest to destroy the ring which would be anything but easy.

Authors Note:

Okay so I'm just going to say that I didn't know how to end this chapter, so there's the ending. Hoped you liked it and hope you review. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

Okay so here is another chapter. This is the first chapter where the entire thing is in Legolas's POV. Well actually, it's the first time ever. So I hope I portrayed him well in this chapter.

Thanks to the reviewers:

Tiara d' Cullen

Metoochocolate (P. S. TLROS is: The Last Rose Of Summer)

Velvet Nights and Satin Skies

The Last Rose of Summer Chapter 8

Legolas talked amongst the other elves that were with him while waiting for the council meeting to start. They didn't know what was going to be done with the ring or who was going to do it. They just knew that something had to be done and soon.

Legolas continued listening to his friends but he found himself distracted by another at the meeting who was watching him. He took his attention off of the elves around him and scanned the others in the meeting when his eyes fell on a female elf.

He stared at her for a moment and took in her appearance. Aragorn told him that he had found this female elf in the middle of the forest, passed out, and wearing strange clothes. Looking at her now, Legolas could tell that she wasn't from middle-earth.

'She looks uncomfortable with her dress and with all of these people. She even looks amazed at us elves.' Legolas thought to himself with a little smile.

He knew that she was staring at him taking in his appearance but what she didn't know is that he was doing the same. Only he was doing it in a less obvious way.

She had dark brown hair that fell just past her shoulders and her chest in messy waves. She had a mix of tan and pale skin and he couldn't help but find this odd.

Legolas moved past her hair and her skin and moved onto his eyes. He looked at her eyes while trying to remain discreet. He saw that they were blue like most elves but her eyes had a dark blue ring then they got lighter.

Legolas thought that all in all she was a beautiful elf like all elves were, but she wasn't like Arwen or Lady Galadriel. He could tell that she had her own unique beauty but it wasn't all focused on her outer appearance like most female elves.

'She is beautiful, I will not deny saying that, but there seems to be more to her than that.' Legolas thought to himself and he smiled a little and pulled his attention away from her.

He focused on talking to the elves he came with before he stopped talking with them and focused on Lord Elrond. He was watching us and waiting for the moment when we could start discussing what we should do with the ring.

"Strangers from distant lands ... friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite...or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate...this one doom..." Legolas looked at Lord Elrond for a moment when he felt eyes on him again.

He turned his gaze back to the elven maiden and saw her watching him for a moment before she looked away from him and focused her eyes on Boromir.

Legolas went to follow her gaze but something else caught his attention, something evil. Legolas, as well as the other elves he was with, watched as the hobbit known as Frodo, brought the ring forth and set it down.

"Sauron's ring! The ring of power!" Legolas muttered in disbelief, looking over the ring carefully. He knew that while the ring didn't look dangerous, it could easily corrupt.

"It is a gift...a gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, held the forces of Mordor at bay...by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy...let us use it against him!" Legolas listened to what Boromir had to say and he understood why he wanted the ring, yet he knew that he could not have it.

"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone...it has no other master." Aragorn told Boromir as seriously and as calmly as he could.

"And what would a mere ranger know of this matter?" Boromir asked Aragorn coolly, not counting on someone else answering for him.

"That is no mere He is Aragorn son on Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Legolas answered keeping his gaze on Boromir. He saw the look of disbelief cross Boromir's face and Legolas tried not to act surprised by it.

"You owe him your allegiance." Legolas told Boromir informatively.

"Havo dad, Legolas." Legolas looked towards Aragorn but he listened and sat back down in his seat. He stole a look at the female elf gauging her reaction on everything.

She seemed to be having mixed reactions about everything that was going on as mixed emotions were in her eyes and some even written on her face. The most evident reaction that Legolas could pick out was confusion. He saw confusion more clearly than any other.

"The ring must be destroyed." Legolas turned and saw Lord Elrond looking at everyone trying to make sure they understood. The ring was not to be given to anyone. It was only to be destroyed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Legolas saw a dwarf stand up holding his axe. He saw the dwarf lift his axe above his head and when he brought it down upon the ring, the axe smashed sending the dwarf flying back.

Legolas looked at the ring trying to see any signs of the ring being damaged at all. When he saw none, he knew that he was right when he thought that it would be difficult.

"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom...only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." Lord Elrond looked around seeing if anyone would bear this burden.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust...the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly." Boromir told the people in the meeting while briefly casting a look over to his left.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed." Legolas stood up quickly and gave Boromir a slightly hardened look.

'We have to go into Mordor to destroy the ring. Doesn't he understand this?' Legolas asked himself quickly.

"And if we fail what then? What will happen when Sauron takes back what is his?" Legolas cast a look at Boromir but stayed silent.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Legolas turned his attention to the dwarf when an argument broke out and he found himself arguing with the dwarves.

'He thinks he should take it? Dwarves are not trustworthy.' He thought to himself as he continued to argue with the dwarves completely ignoring the looks that he was receiving from the female.

Authors Note:

Okay so there's my first attempt at a POV for Legolas. I hope I portrayed him well because I tried my hardest. Oh and if anyone wants to know, the reason why he was staring at her so much is because he is curious about her, not because he's already in love with her. He's just curious. Anyway, please review. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

Okay so I know that it took me a while to update and I apologise for that. But here is a new chapter and this chapter, which I hope you like.

Thanks to the reviewers:

LUNA GURLZ

Tiara d' Cullen

Metoochocolate

mal mel me

Velvet Nights and Satin Skies

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967

The Last Rose of Summer Chapter 9

Natalia watched with the argument of the men, elves and dwarves with curiosity. She could hear English coming from the men and some of the dwarves, but from the elves she heard something different. She heard them speak in their own, beautiful, entrancing language.

'It is a very beautiful language. They sound mad and they probably are mad but they still make it sound beautiful.' Natalia thought to herself as she continued to watch the argument with interest. But as soon as she had paid attention to the argument, and had gotten into it, it was over.

"I shall take the ring. I shall take the ring to Mordor. Though I don't know the way." Frodo said quietly then he looked around the council meeting gauging everyone's expressions.

"I will help you beat this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it yours to bear." Natalia watched with interest as the wizard Gandalf stood up and offered his assistance to Frodo.

'They must be good friends...' Natalia thought to herself but snapped out of her thoughts when she felt shuffling from beside her.

"If, by my life or death, I can protect you I will. You have my sword." Aragorn told Frodo sincerely making sure that Frodo understood. He meant every single word he said and he would keep it.

"You will have my bow." Natalia's eyes snapped over to the elf, Legolas, and she stared at him for a moment.

'I still cannot figure out what is so different about him. There is something I know it. There has to be something because his elven friends treat him differently.' Natalia pondered on this a moment but then her thoughts drifted to Frodo.

She saw him standing on the other side of the meeting with people standing beside him. He looked unsure of what was going to come in the near future but in his eyes Natalia could tell that there was courage and hope.

'**You must go with them.**' Natalia jumped at the voice and stood up quickly watching as all eyes turned on her.

"I am coming too Frodo." Natalia quickly ran over to the rest of them men and she stood as close as she could to Aragorn.

"Lady Natalia?" Frodo asked her unsure what to say. He knew that this was going to be a dangerous quest and he didn't want her to get hurt.

"I'm going with you." Natalia said in a determined voice. She tried not to show the people at the meeting how intimidated she was standing here with all the men. Especially since two of the men were giving her looks.

'I can feel them staring at me and I don't like it. But what should I do? Should I turn around and look at them or just ignore them?' She questioned herself and before she could really think about it, she turned her head.

Natalia's eyes connected with the blue eyes of Legolas and in his eyes she saw a bunch of mixed emotions. She, of course, saw curiosity held in his eyes but there was something beyond it that she couldn't really figure out. They had been staring at each other in the meeting, she was curious about him, and she could only guess that he was just as curious about her.

"Here!" Natalia tore her eyes away from Legolas and awkwardly shifted her body away from his and instead she focused on a head of blonde hair coming from the trees behind them.

"Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!" Sam exclaimed as he took his spot next to Frodo's with his most determined look on his face.

"No indeed. It is very hard to separate you two even when he is summoned to a secret council meeting and you are not." Natalia heard Lord Elrond tell Sam in an amused voice as if to say that he wasn't in too much trouble.

"Oi! We're coming too! You'd have to send us tied up in a sack to stop us!" Natalia jumped slightly when she heard Pippin and Merry run in.

"Are you alright Milady?" Natalia jumped again and she closed her eyes for a moment before she opened them. She turned her head to the side, preparing to glare at whoever scared her, when she caught Legolas' gaze.

She looked into his eyes again and saw amusement flash across his eyes before they were filled with curiosity again.

"Yes I am alright. They just took me by surprise." Natalia whispered back a little harshly before she turned back around. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest, and once again, tried to go back to ignoring the feeling of someone watching her.

'I shouldn't have been so harsh towards him. He was only trying to be nice.' Natalia turned her head to the side slightly to look at him but instead of his eyes being on her, they were now on Lord Elrond.

'Men.' Natalia scoffed to herself and she turned back around. She tried to clear her thoughts free of Legolas but as soon as her mind was clear, one of the voices came back.

'You're being unfaithful.'

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Natalia sat down on the edge of her bed and, for once, let her mind effortlessly wander back to Toronto. She thought about everything that had happened since she had moved away from her parents, her siblings and her friends.

'Freedom. That's what I wanted. I wanted freedom. I thought that they were trying to control me but they were trying to save me.' Natalia sighed and flopped back on her bed and closed her eyes for a moment.

'They had warned me that he wouldn't be faithful to me. They all had warned me and I didn't listen. I uprooted my life for him. I uprooted my life across the country for him. Then he cheated on me.' Natalia clenched her hands together along with her jaw.

She was more infuriated with herself then she was with her ex-boyfriend. She had believed everything that he told her. She had bought into every lie and every sweet word uttered from his mouth.

'It was your entire fault. You pushed him towards cheating on you. You gave him no choice.' The irritating voice rang in Natalia's head like an alarm. She couldn't get it to stop or be quiet and if it were going to be quiet, it would take a while.

'It was not my fault! I did nothing wrong! He cheated on me!' Natalia yelled in her head trying to get the voice to shut up but, like an alarm, it just kept getting louder.

'Cheater. Cheater. Cheater.' Natalia clenched her fists again hit them against the bed.

"I am not a cheater!" She said out loud finally being satisfied that the voice had shut up.

'It's gone for now at least. Until it comes back and starts nagging me again.' Natalia opened her eyes and stared at the roof.

"It isn't my fault is it?" She mumbled to herself before she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Did I really push him to cheat on me?" Natalia whispered quietly to herself before flopping back on her bed again.

Authors Note:

Okay so that was the new chapter. Hoped you liked it. The next chapter should be when they actually leave. So please keep reading!


	10. Chapter 10

Okay so I know that this story hadn't been updated in a while, but it is now. I promise that I will spend more time on this story too, to make up for not updating sooner.

Thanks to the reviewers:

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967

Moonpiegirl

Velvet Nights and Satin Skies

LUNA GURLZ

Metoochocolate

Taz1995

Aliben

Melty-chan 93

The Last Rose of Summer Chapter

Natalia threw her bag on the ground before she followed it. She lay back against the cool grass and tried to ignore the fatigue that was passing through her. She had always enjoyed walking and exercising in general, but there was a difference between what she was doing and exercising.

'You can always quit exercising but it seems like we'll never stop walking.' Natalia thoughts were bitter and annoyed. She was tired of walking and all she really wanted to do was curl up in a nice warm bed and…

"Tired milady?" Natalia's eyes snapped open at the sound of a smooth, low voice. She knew that it wasn't Aragorn's voice and she knew it wasn't Boromir's voice. They both had low rough tones to their voices, and whoever was speaking to her, had no such tone to their voice.

"My apologies milady, I didn't mean to startle you." Natalia groaned quietly and pushed herself off of the ground, into a sitting position. She looked up at the owner of the attractive voice and tried not to blush when she had seen who was talking to her.

The strange elf, Legolas as Aragorn had told her, was standing above her smiling kindly down at her. She could amusement in his eyes as well with curiosity. She could tell that he found her amusing just by the tone to his voice and the look in his eyes.

"You didn't startle me." Natalia told him while trying to remain calm. Truthfully, he had scared her and he made her heart race because of it. But she would never let him know that.

"If I didn't scare you then how come you jumped?" Natalia's eyes narrowed and she rolled her eyes at Legolas.

"I was taken by surprise." She huffed at him and turned her attention away from him to a not-so-interesting rock beside her. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of being right.

"I'm sorry milady. I didn't mean to startle you. Aragorn told me that you are a new elf and that you haven't quite gotten used to everything elves possess." Legolas told her trying hard not to shoot her an amused look.

He really was quite curious about her and he found most of the things she did quite funny. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable or embarrassed when he scared her but he thought she would've heard him.

"Oh. He's right. I'm not used to everything yet. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around everything." Natalia told him, avoiding meeting his eyes. She knew that if she had met his eyes, she would be caught in his blue eyes.

'His eyes are sure to draw me in. They are so beautiful. I've never really seen eyes like his before.' Natalia thought as she subconsciously looked up into his eyes ignoring the nagging voice in the back of her mind.

"Wait, he told you?" Natalia snapped out her thoughts about Legolas' eyes and stared at him questionably.

'Why did Aragorn tell him?' Natalia asked herself trying to think of possible motives for Aragorn.

"I'm sorry if you didn't want me to know milady. Aragorn thought it would make things simpler if I knew before I started to speak elfish to you." Natalia nodded her head lightly showing that she understood, even if she was still confused.

"I was just curious." Natalia mumbled before she spread her arms and reached behind her to stretch. Her muscles were quite sore, especially her feet and legs, and the only thing she really wanted right now was either Tylenol or a hot bath.

"Lady Natalia you should practice archery with Legolas. He is an excellent archer and he will be able to help you." Natalia furrowed her eye brows and turned around looking for Aragorn. She spotted him sitting by Boromir, Frodo and Gandalf, watching the hobbits practicing with their swords.

'I shouldn't have been able to hear that.' Natalia thought skeptically as she continued to look at Aragorn from where she was sitting.

"Are you ready to practice milady?" Natalia tore out of her thoughts and briefly smiled at Legolas before she started to push herself off the ground, only to have Legolas hold out his hand for her.

Natalia grabbed his hand and let him pull her up to a standing position before he bent down again and retrieved her bow and arrows.

'I felt shocks. I felt electricity when our hands touched.' Natalia bit her cheek to stop a smile from gracing her face.

'What about your boyfriend?' Natalia heard the always-so-cheerful voice ask from the back of her mind.

'I haven't felt sparks since we first started going out.' She spat back at the voice, grinning as it went quiet.

'You're a cheater.' Natalia clenched her fists by her sides, trying not to imagine how it would feel to kill the voice.

'I did not cheat on him. He cheated on me and no one asked your opinion anyway.' She huffed as the voice and unclenched her fists and relaxed when the voice became silent again.

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Legolas stood watching the female elf drift in and out of her thoughts. He wanted to know what she was thinking about but decided that it would be best not to ask. He could tell that she was thinking hard about something and he would rather not disturb her. Well not until it looked like she had stopped thinking.

"Are you ready to practice milady?" Legolas asked her making sure that he didn't scare her again. But when he seen her jump and take a deep breath he knew that his efforts were at vain.

"I'm sorry to scare you again. I didn't mean to I was just seeing if you were ready." Legolas apologized and fought, yet another, amused grin that tugged on his lips.

"That happens all the time." Legolas heard her say while fighting off a blush.

"Getting scared or drifting off into your thoughts?" He asked her in a teasing voice and couldn't help but grin. He normally wouldn't tease a female this often, especially a female elf, but there was something about her that made it seem okay.

"I always drift off into my thoughts of course." He saw annoyance flash through her eyes before it was replaced with amusement. He knew that she may not admit it; in fact he doubted that she would admit it, but he could tell that she found this as amusing as he did.

"We can go and practice over here." Legolas told her patiently, and he waited for a moment, to make sure she was paying attention, before he started walking to a secluded area. The only way to keep everyone there safe was to be as far away from them as possible.

Authors Note:

Okay so I know that was a long wait for a new chapter and I know that this chapter should be longer. But to be fair, I was writing this chapter in my spare at school and I started running out of time. Anyway, hope you like it!


	11. Chapter 11

Okay so this update took a lot longer than I had expected and for that, I apologise. I know that the update took a while, and it doesn't help that the chapter is shorter too. But despite this, I hope you like it and I hope you review. Thanks!

Thanks to the reviewers:

LUNA GURLZ

Duilin

aliben (They all think that she lost her memory and that she simply needs to remember again)

Metoochocolate

The Last Rose of Summer Chapter 11

Natalia stood beside Legolas, in the proper stance and place, and held her bow like Aragorn had shown her. Legolas had told her that he wanted to see what she could go, and what she still had to work on, giving Natalia the impression that she was to stand how Aragorn had told her.

"Your feet are placed too far apart; you need to move your feet closer." Natalia heard Legolas tell her and, because she didn't understand why he was telling her this, she turned and asked him.

"Aragorn was telling me how I was supposed to stand and hold the bow. Are you saying that he's wrong?" Natalia was confused by Legolas's instructions and she couldn't see why it was wrong, nor could she imagine why.

"Aragorn is a great teacher, he really is, but he is much taller than you and his stance needs to be different. You are much smaller than him, so your stance doesn't need to be as wide." Natalia nodded at Legolas's instructions, and she quickly adjusted her stance to the correct width.

"That's good now hold your bow comfortably..." Natalia head him walking behind her and she started to fidget under his gaze. His gaze, unlike Aragorn's, made her nervous and uncomfortable, especially when he was so close to her.

"That's good milady. Now keep your eye on the target, aim and fire." Natalia drew her hand back and let go of her arrow and she watched it fly, hitting the target that Legolas had set. A smile graced itself upon her lips and with a cry of excitement; she jumped around and faced Legolas excited.

"I hit it! I hit the target!" She smiled at Legolas, and saw an excited look flash across his face for a moment. She smiled and turned back around, to look at her arrow.

"That was good. But you will still need a lot of practice." Natalia nodded and she walked over to the target that was placed and pulled her arrow out of it. She held it tightly in her hand and began making her way back over to Legolas, deep in thought.

She hadn't really thought of her ex lately or how he made her feel when he cheated. She really hadn't even thought about why she was so upset that he had cheated on her. She wasn't entirely sure these thoughts had suddenly disappeared and left her alone, but she wasn't complaining.

"Are you alright? Lady Natalia?" Natalia shook her head and got rid of all of her thoughts and smiled at Legolas, keeping up her happy thoughts and attitude.

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Legolas stood behind Natalia watching her form and the way she held her bow in her hands. The way she was holding herself and the bow was good, but her stance was too wide. The stance and the way her feet were placed, from what she had told him, was the way that Aragorn held a bow, and he had been quick to fix that.

After he had told her to fix her stance, he saw her entire body relax more than it had been, even if she didn't realize it. He saw her hold the bow in a more relaxed way, and she seemed more confident in herself.

"That was good, but you still need a lot of practice." Legolas told her, keeping his voice kind and patient. She wasn't the best archer that he had ever come across but she reminded him of a child that was learning. They were clumsy and unsure of themselves at first, but as they practiced more, they had gotten stronger in their abilities.

He looked at her when he didn't get a reply and he seen her holding the arrow in her hand, with a look of deep thought on her face. He didn't know what she was thinking about, but every once in a while, he would see, what was either, anger or confusion flash across her face.

"Are you alright? Lady Natalia?" Legolas asked her gently, hoping that whatever she was thinking about was not causing her too much anguish, as he considered her to potentially be a very good friend.

Legolas was curious about her, and he considered her to be a very interesting elf maiden. He was curious about where she came from and he was also curious about her family and who they were. He had been talking to Aragorn, and he had said that when he found her, she had no idea that she was an elf. This led him to believe that she was either kidnapped from her home, or it was destroyed.

"I'm fine." Legolas heard Natalia tell him before she put the arrow away and began walking away from him. Legolas didn't know if he had been staring at her too long and offended her, or if he had given her a look that he wasn't supposed to.

"What is that?" Legolas did not turn his head when he heard one of the hobbits speaking, nor did he turn his head when he heard the dwarf talking. He kept his attention on the sound and the clump of black objects flying towards them.

"It's moving fast, against the wind." Legolas continued to stare at the clump until he realized what it was and how much danger they were in.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas turned and warned everyone what was coming before he ran over to Natalia, ready to grab her and help her hide, but he found that she had dove under a rock by Aragorn.

He himself had dove behind a rock and pressed himself against the rock, watching and hearing the birds fly over them, looking for any sign of them or the ring. He knew that they were spies and that they would stop at nothing to find them.

"What were those things?" Legolas turned his attention towards Lady Natalia and then he turned his attention towards Gandalf.

"Spies of Soromon. The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." Legolas tore his attention away from Gandalf, and he turned it back to lady Natalia, gauging her reaction.

He saw her eyebrows furrowed and look at the same spot that Gandalf was staring at. He saw some concern and fear flash through her eyes, before they really turned back to normal.

Legolas knew that he was curious about her but beyond his curiosity; he didn't know why she was gripping his attention. She was a very beautiful elf maiden, he would not deny that, but he knew that her looks, and his curiosity, weren't the only thing keeping her attention. It was something other than that, and it was really tugging on his mind.

'There's something about her that's tugging on my mind, something that seems like it should be very obvious.' Legolas gathered up all of his things and he joined the rest of the fellowship, keeping a safe distance between lady Natalia and himself.

Authors Note:

Sorry about the long wait, and the short chapter. I really need to get better at the whole updating and making longer chapters' thing. But here is a brand new chapter, and while it is short, I hoped you like it and I hoped you review. Thanks!


	12. Chapter 12

Okay so I know that this update took forever, and I know that I need to get better at updating. I'm sorry and I promise that I will try and update faster.

Thanks to the reviewers:

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967

aliben

LUNA GURLZ

Metoochocolate

horsegirljessie

The last Rose of Summer Chapter 12

Natalia trudged through the snow, lifting her feet, following, or attempting to follow, the path that was made in front of her. She was in between Pippin and Merry, who were following Legolas. She had tried as hard as she could to follow the path without tripping or falling. The shoes that she was given in Rivendell were better than her flats, but they didn't really block out the cold, or the snow.

"Are you alright milady?" Natalia heard Boromir ask from behind her, as he grasped her arm gently. She had just stumbled and had barely caught herself when he had helped steady her.

"I'm fine." Natalia looked up and her eyes connected with Legolas's. She ignored the amused look in his eyes and stood up straight, and started walking again, keeping her balance this time.

She had continued walking until she was close to Legolas, when she noticed that everyone was staring at something. Turning her body and her attention behind her, she saw Boromir standing, holding the ring in his hands, staring at it lovingly.

She strained her ears to hear what they were saying, and from what she could tell, it seemed like they were arguing quietly about something. She could not hear what they were saying exactly, but she knew that it could escalate at any moment. Especially from the way Boromir and Aragorn were looking at each other.

"How is your hearing milady?" Natalia looked up at Legolas for a moment before she turned her attention back to the, now, broken up argument.

"I could hear snippets of what they were saying. I couldn't hear everything, but from what I heard and saw, I could tell that it could've gotten out of hand." Natalia told Legolas, turning away from Aragorn, and looking at him briefly before she turned away.

'You're attracted to him and you just broke up with someone.' Natalia's jaw tightened and her hands clenched down by her sides.

'I did not cheat on him, he cheated on me.' Natalia spat back at the, now, present nagging voice. She hadn't thought of her cheating ex in a while and she enjoyed it. Then her nagging voice kicked in and ruined it for her.

'You're no better.' Natalia took a deep breath to calm down, before she made herself look like a fool in front of everyone. She was not about to have a fight with the nagging voice in her head, while it would be a good way to get it to shut up, she knew that she wasn't alone, and that while she was arguing she would be making facial expressions.

'I am not like him. I did not cheat on him, and I am not cheating on him. We are not together; I am single. I can see whoever I want, whenever I want.' Natalia spat out at her inner voice trying to make it silent for a moment; and if she was lucky, silent for a while.

'He still has a part of you, you stupid girl. Or did you forget what he took before from you?' The nagging voice taunted Natalia, dangling her dirty little secret in front of her face, reminding her that while she wanted to leave her ex-boyfriend behind, and his memory, she could never get rid of it.

'I never forgot. I still remember.' Natalia shook her head and cleared her mind from and got rid of the nagging voice and focused on walking in the cold, deep snow.

"You look upset. Are you okay milady?" Natalia heard Legolas ask her politely, from beside her, but instead of answering him, she pushed past him and kept walking, ignoring the looks that not only he was shooting her, but the looks that Frodo and Aragorn were shooting her.

"I am sorry if I offended you or hurt you in any way milady." Natalia felt Legolas grab her arm lightly and she turned and faced him, trying to avoid his blue eyes that would surly draw her in.

"You didn't hurt me or offend me. I did it all on my own." Natalia told him and pulled her arm out of his grip and held it to her body.

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Natalia huddled against the side of the mountain and shivered, her arms wrapped around herself. She was used to winters; she had grown up in a small town in northern Canada before she moved to Toronto. She was supposed to be used to winters, harsh winters, where it was blisteringly cold and where the snow could bury you alive. She wasn't that cold, she felt a slight nipping at her skin, but she wasn't too terribly cold. It was the snow that was really bothering her; it was really making it difficult for her to move, let alone see anything.

"Are you alright milady?" She looked up at Legolas, into his eye catching blue eyes, and nodded her head, her brain not able to function normally.

"Can you hear anything?" She looked past Legolas and concentrated, pushing her thoughts out of her mind and focused on listening and looking, for anything.

She could hear someone speaking quietly, and she took a step towards the edge, and strained her ears, listening carefully. She could hear the mumbling getting clearer, and louder.

"I can hear someone speaking. They're saying something that I can't make out." Natalia whispered quietly, knowing that Legolas would hear her from where he was.

"There is a foul voice in the air." Natalia pressed herself closer to the mountain, trying to make it easier for her to see and heard the others that were in front of her and behind her.

"It's Saruman." Natalia had just heard Gandalf yell out his name before she heard a cracking noise above her.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! We must turn back!" She looked over her shoulder and saw Aragorn helping Frodo bear the blistering temperature and the gusting wind.

She turned away from them and back to the voice she was hearing. She had never heard a voice like this one before and she was glad for that. The voice she was hearing was not a pleasant one, it sent chills down her spine and it made her want to reel away from it.

Natalia pulled her attention away from the voice, and instead focused it on the loud sound she was hearing from above her. She looked up at the mountain, hearing the loud crack again, she saw rocks falling from the top, onto a ledge above her and she only had a few moments to prepare herself before she felt snow, pushing her down.

Natalia groaned and started to push snow out of her way, panicking, feeling like she was being buried alive, she frantically pushed herself to the top of the snow. She shoved pieces of snow and ice out of her, getting to the top; she tried to pull herself out, only to find it very difficult under the weight of the snow.

"Here, grab my hand." Natalia grabbed whoever's hand was offered to her and she allowed herself to be pulled up, out of the snow. She stood up quickly, regaining her balance, before she brushed the snow off of her like it was death itself.

'I never thought I was claustrophobic. But being stuck in the snow like that really made me fearful.' Natalia shuddered, and stood up straighter. She set her feet equal widths apart, trying to find good, sturdy balance. The last thing she needed was to fall over in the snow and get stuck again...

"We must get up the mountain! Make way for Rohan! Or take the west road to my city!" Natalia watched Boromir, shout towards Gandalf, the wind picking up even more, making it even harder to hear.

"But the road to Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Natalia listened to all of these names being spat out, but she didn't pay them much attention. She didn't know where they were, and she didn't really care too much. She just wanted to get someplace else and from the looks of things, so did the rest of them.

"You cannot go under a mountain, let us go under it. Let us go to the mines of Moria." She heard the dwarf Gimli say, and she watched as a concerned look crossed Gandalf's face. She knew that there must be something in there that is making him reluctant to go there, she just wasn't sure what.

"Let the ring bearer decide." Natalia turned her attention away from Gandalf and over to Pippin and Merry, both were shivering in Boromir's arms. She could see both their bodies shaking from head to toe and she knew that if they didn't get out of the cold soon, there could possibly be permanent damage.

"We will go through the mines." Natalia heard Frodo say in a voice that led her to believe, she wasn't sure entirely, that Frodo hadn't had much of a choice.

'**Be careful Natalia.**' Natalia heard the same, clear, loud voice in her head again but instead of pushing it out, she let it in, taking the warning into consideration, she swore to herself that she would be careful.

Authors Note:

I know that it has been a long time since I updated and I am sorry. I will try and make them faster, and if there are a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, I am sorry. I wrote this at 11:00 at night, and I'm running low on sleep. Anyway please review. Thanks!


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